Standup display package

ABSTRACT

A standup display package having face panels with a product receiving aperture and a plastic film closing the aperture and providing a product retaining pocket. Panel portions along a bottom portion of the package are spread apart beneath the pocket to form a base for supporting the package erect on a support surface.

United States Patent inventor Lawrence E. Hoover Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Appl. No. 758,008 Filed Sept. 6, 1968 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 Assignee Annrican Packaging Corporation STANDUP DISPLAY PACKAGE 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 206/45.14, 206/80 Int. Cl..., 865d 5/50 Field of Search....; 206/45. 14, 20A, 78B; 229/S.C.

Primary Examiner.loseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-John M. Caskie Attorney-Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher & Heinke ABSTRACT: A standup display package havingiface panels with a product receiving aperture 'and a plastic film closing the aperture and providing a product retaining pocket. Panel portions along a bottom portion of the package are spread apart beneath the pocket to form a base for supporting the package erect on a support surface.

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INVENTOR. LAWRENCE E.HOOVEF BY wafiqHoqmannFSm Heinkb ATTORN EYS.

ticularly to a standup display package.

- ln present day merchandising many articles are packaged in separate units. Retail products are often packaged in separate units in order to show'the products attractively against a display. background, which cancontain art work, illustrations of use, trademark, and price. Packages for separate units facilitate self-service sales, serve as protection in shipment and deter pilferage.

In packages which accomplish this type of display, each unit of articles to be sold is mounted on-an individual display card. This unit is covered with a transparent plastic material which fixes itto the display card. A number-of types of packages have been developed which fall in this general class of display package. These packages may be suspended from an aperture in the card or may be constructed to stand by themselves. The present invention is of the latter type.

Some of the standup packages already known depend upon the article itself to provide a flat base to support the card. These are limited in their applicability to certain products. Some support the articles but do not encase it in a plastic wrap, while others only partially encase the'article. In either case the article is not completely protected and secured.

Various blister-type standup packages areknown, but these require a'separate bubble with a peripheral flange, which is separately attached to a display card. This requires additional .assemblysteps over cards with integral pockets. Also, in many instances, the card itself is of complex shape and construction,

I port so formed'is of no greater depth than the thickness of the packaged article so that no I excess space is required for the apertures in the card. The film extending across the fold line is not cut and the pocket halves are preformed to a shape that will accommodate a particular article to be packaged. in

I the manner indicated above.

The standup package is formed from the card described by folding the two card panels about the fold line and closing the two panels over an article positioned in the area of the apertures and pocket. Upper and side portions of the panels about the aperture are pressed into face to-face relationship. The panel portions directlybeneath the apertltrredown to the cut portion of the fold line will be spread apart during the folding by the thickness of the article that is packaged. The panels'are panels to each side ofthe article are flat and sealed together.

storage, shipment or display as a resultof the standup feature.

Also, the stability of the package is not dependent upon the base configuration of the article packaged.

Basically, the present invention'utilize's stiffening structure packaged. Bottom edgeportions of the facepanels are spaced apart directly beneath the pocket and article, to provide a supporting base. The spaced bottom edge portions are maintained apart by virtue of the construction of the pocket and the thickness of the article packaged. More specifically, the bottom portion of the pocket extends outwardly of the face panel or panels to provide a pocket 'depth at the bottom of the aperture, substantially less than the thickness of the packaged article atthe bottomof the aperture, Upper portions of the pocket are of adequate depth' to receive the article. As a result, the panel portions directly beneath the aperture and ar ticle are held apart by the article within the pocket while other areas of the front and back panels above the base are in faceto-face relationship, secured together to form a flat display portion of the package.

In accordance with the preferred form. of this invention, the standup package display utilizes a display card of the fold-over type; i.e., a card formed of a single piece, usually printed on its outer face, and scored for folding.'Two face panels are defined by a fold line that preferably bisects thev card. An aperture is in each of the face panels, each aperture located to coincide with the other when the card is folded along the bisecting fold line. A thin film of flexible material, dimensionally stable at room temperature and preferably in the form of a single transparent sheet, is secured to the inner surface of the fold-over card and extends through the apertures to form pockets, or pocket halves. Preferably, the fold line in the card is completely cut through the card along a portion of its length, directly between This makes it possible to load and seal these standup packages with sealing machines that are used for conventional card packages and which support the cards either along side edges in spaced parallel tracks or about the periphery of the card with apertured plates and advance the cards between opposed sealing dies where peripheral face portions of the cards are pressed together and heat-sealed. Only slight modifications need be made to the sealing dies and apertured plates to accommodate the expanded base portion directly beneath the pocket.

The film and stiffening structure of packages embodying the present invention can be suitably constructed of materials such as polyethylene film and card stock as described in US. Pat. No. 3,298,515, Ridley Watts, Jr.,inventor, issued Jan. 27, 1967, and entitled Package. Other suitable films, for exam- ;ple an ionomer film sold under the trademark SURLYN,

which have some heat-shrink characteristics can be used and the pocket of the package can be heat-shrunk after the package has been loaded to draw the film more tightly about the package. SURLYN film has a stability much like polyethylene in that it can be performed and will holds its shape for an extended period of time. SURLYN films currently available afford less shrink than biaxially oriented polyvinyl chloride film but have somewhat better shrink characteristics than polyethylene. Accordingly, a package formed by this process can be heat-shrunk so that once the finished, loaded package is obtained, the pocket does not film of the type mentioned above bonded to the inside surfaces of the card. Pocket halves of dimensions suitable for the product being packaged are formed in the film through the apertures, as by vacuum molding. The formed pocket is dimensionally stable at room temperature, assuring that the pocket will properly receive the product being packaged and that the product and pocket will cooperate to spread apart the base portion of the card panels. Typically, the flat card with preformed pocket halves is shipped by the manufacturer to a product packager. The product packager places a product in the pocket and seals the panels together.

In the finished standup package, the product projects from and is visible from one or both faces of the panels and is completely framed by the supporting card. The package is particularly strong and durable because the product is completely encased by a protective pocket of plastic film and both panels and the plastic film are firmly united together in face-to-face relationship over substantial areas of the package.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved standup package.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved standup package having a face panel with a product receiving aperture and pocket and with panel portions along a bottom portion of the package spread apart beneath the aperture to form a supporting base.

Other objects and a more complete understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a package embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the package of FIG. 1, as viewed from the line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the package of FIG. 1, taken along the line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plane view of the package of FIG. 1 as seen from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the card that forms the package of FIGS. 1 to 4, showing the inside surface, and prior to folding and sealing; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the card of FIG. 5.

With reference now to the drawings, a package 10 is shown formed from a stiffening structure indicated generally at 12. The stiffening structure 12 is a fold-over card formed of a front face panel 14 and a back face panel 15, defined by a straight fold line 16. The face panels are in opposed face-toface relationship when the card is loaded and sealed closed. As best shown in FIG. 5, the stiffening structure 12 is rectangular and is bisected by the fold line 16 so that the front face panel 14 is equal in size and shape to the back face panel 15.

The fold line 16 defining the two face panels has a central portion 161: formed by a cut or slit extending completely through the stiffening structure, and two side portions 16b, 160 formed by perforations or score lines. An aperture 18a is in the front face panel 14, spaced from the fold line 16. A matching aperture 18b is in the back face panel 15. Both apertures have a common longitudinal center line and are equally spaced from the transverse fold line 16 that bisects the length of the stiffening structure 12. When the card or stiffening structure 12 is folded about the line 16 to place the front and back face panels in face-to-face relationship, the two apertures 18a, 18b are brought into registration with one another, forming a single aperture 18 (see FIG. 1) through the package 10. As will be seen from FIG. 5, the cut portion 16a of the fold line 16 extends across the width of the stiffening structure 12 a distance slightly greater than the width of each aperture 18 0, 18b. Two small apertures 19a, 19b are located at opposite ends of the stiffening structure to provide a hole 19 at the top of the finished package so that the package can be suspended for display, if desired.

A sheet of pliable film 20 is bonded to one surface of the stiffening structure 12, the upper surface in the orientation of FIGS. 5 and 6, which forms inside surfaces of the face panels 14, of the formed package 10. The film extends across the apertures 18a, 18b and across the central portion of the fold line 16. It also covers a substantial area of the stiffening structure 12 about the apertures 18a, 18b in order to secure the face panels in face-to-face relationship after a product is packaged and the card folded.

Pocket halves 22a, 22b, respectively, are formed in the film that extends across the apertures 18a, 18b. These pocket halves each project through the associated aperture when an article is packaged. The film 20 is essentially dimensionally stable at room temperature so that the formed pocket retains its formed dimensions and the pocket halves typically are partially flattened after formation and before the package is loaded. The pocket halves are redistended to a taut condition as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 by the unit packaged, when it is inserted in the pocket and the card halves closed about it. As illustrated, the two pocket halves 22a, 22b combine in the finished package to form a single closed pocket 22 surrounding a packaged article, such as the bottle B, shown. which extends from opposite sides of the package. The film forming the pocket 22 is maintained slightly in tension over the packaged article and may if desired be heat-shrunk somewhat to improve the tension and appearance of the package. The pocket is preferably transparent to displaythe product.

The film 20 is bonded to the stiffening structure 12, as by a wet or softenable adhesive. The film is preferably heat-sealable so that the face panel portions 14, 15 can be conveniently adhered together in opposed relationship by portions of the film 20 that extend about the aperture ltlsPolyethylene or SURLYN film, referred to above, embody these and other desirable characteristics. Alternatively, the inner surfaces of the face portions of the card can be coated with an adhesive, such as a heat-bondable adhesive.

Each pocket half 22a, 22b is formed of a predetermined shape in relationship to the article being packaged so that lower central portions 14a, 15a of the two face panels 14, 15, respectively, which are directly beneath the apertures, will be spaced apart in the finished package. By way of example, a packaged bottle 8 is shown in the drawing in conjunction with the embodiment of the package. The bottle B, as shown, has vertical sidewalls so that the thickness or depth of the bottle is substantially constant along the height. The bottle B is generally oval in cross section and has a relatively flat base. The stiffening structure 12 and the pocket halves 22a, 22b are constructed so that the bottle B will extend an'equal distance from opposite surfaces of the face panels l4, 15, of the finished package, and the lower central portions of the panels will be spread apart to form a supporting base. See FIG. 2. The panels 14, 15 are in face-to-face relationship and the bottle extends from the opposite faces because the depth of the pocket halves 22a, 22b at the upper portions, indicated generally at X in FIG. 6, provide sufficient film area so that the film extends about the outer surface of the article B with the adjacent portions of the face panels sealed together. The lower central portions 14a, 15a of the face panels are spaced apart because the depth of the pocket halves 22a, 22b at lower portions indicated generally at Y in FIG. 6 is considerably less than half the thickness of the lower portion of the bottle B over which the lower portions of the pocket extend. As a result, the portions 14a, 15a of the face panels cannot meet in face-to-face relationship beneath the pockets and article. Instead, as panel portions and especially side panel portions indicated at l4b, 14c and 15b, 15c are forced together, the face panels beneath the pocket 22 separate along the portion 16a of the fold line, resulting in the configuration of FIGS. l4. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the total depth of the pocket halves 22a, 22b in the area Y adjacent the bottom of the apertures 18a, 18b, plus the distance between spaced bottom portions 14a, 15 a of the face panels, is equal to the depth or thickness of the bottle B packaged, at the bottom of the pockets. Because the panel portions 14a, 15a are free to separate along the cut portion 16a of the fold line, they extend substantially vertically and form a support with bottom edge surfaces that lie in a common plane and spaced apart sufficiently with respect to the article packaged to provide adequate stability for the standup package.

In closing the front and back face panels 14, 15, the lower portions 14a, 15a are spread by the bottle B and the film that forms the pocket halves. The spaced portions of the panels are maintained in a spaced condition by the bottle B. Because the sheet of pliable film 20 is not slit along the fold line 16, the film extends across the gap formed between the spread portions 14a, 15a of the face panels at the base, so that the bottle B is completely encased by the film. By virtue of the spaced bottom portions 14a, 15a, a stable base is formed beneath the weight of the bottle. By providing at least some depth to the pocket halves 22a, 22b in the areas Y directly above the lower edge of the apertures 18a, 18b, the general appearance of the package is enhanced because the bottle B or other article extends outwardly from the face panels, even at the spaced p0rtions of the base. In addition, the spaced base portions 14a,

bisecting score line I so that the face panels 14, are in face-to-face relationship and the apertures'l8a, 18b are lined to form a single aperture 18 through the folded structure. The folded stiffening structure 12 with thefilm 20 between the face panel portions l4, 15 is pressed closed and heat is applied to the face panels about the sides and top' of the aperture 18, 7 including the areas 14b, c and 15b, 0, but not at the areas 140, 15a where the face panels are separated. This seals the package about three sides of the pocket 22 and holds the face panels in face-to-face relationship.

Variations in the embodiment described will be apparent from the above description, and it will be appreciated that modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims. 1

I claim:

1. A selfstanding display package which comprises:

a' stiffening structure with front and back face' panels secured together in face-to-face relationship with bottom edge portions formed in part by panel portions that are secured together and in part by panel portions that are spaced apart; 1 I

the stiffening structure having at least one aperture;

a pliable film adhered to the stiffening structure and extend ing across the aperture; g

a packaged article secured to the structure by the film and having a thickness substantially greater than that of the face panels; and l K v 1 I said spaced-apart panelportions being directly beneath the packaged article and spaced apart a distance less than the maximum thickness of the article.

. 2. A package as set forth in claim 3 wherein the spaced bottom edge portions of the face panels are spaced a distance less than the thickness of the article at its bottom portion.

3. A package as set forth in claim 1 wherein thefilm forms a pocket that extendsthrough said aperture and which has a total depth in the direction of the thickness dimension of the packaged article adjacent the bottom of the aperture that is substantially less than the thickness of said packaged article at the bottom of the aperture.

4. A self-standing display package which comprises:

a stiffening structure with two face panels positioned in opposed face-to-face relationship and with a bottom surface formed of edge portions of the face panels in part joined and in part spaced apart in a common plane;

the structure having two matching apertures which are aligned to fonn a single aperture through the two opposed panels to receive an article packaged;

pliable film adhered to a facing surface of each of the two opposed face panels and extending across the respective matching apertures;

pocket halves formed from portionsof the pliable film extending across each of the two'matching apertures, eachpocket half projecting in an opposite direction from the other through the respective matching aperture in the structure, said pocket halves being of greater area than the respective apertures and combining to form a pocket about a packaged article; said spaced edge portions of the bottom surface being directly beneath said apertures to form a supporting base and said face panels being secured together in face-toface relationship at other areas of the two face panels. including portions of the face panels at each side of said spaced edge portion of the bottom surface; and the total depth of the pocket extending from the opposed face panels at the bottom of the aperture being substantially less than the thickness of the packa ed article at the bottom of the pocket, and the dep h of t e pocket at the top of the aperture being essentially equal to the depth of the packaged article at the top of the pocket.

5. An article as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pocket halves are formed from a single sheet of pliable that extends across the space between the spaced edgefportidns of...

the bottom surface of the face panels.

6. An article forpackaging a product and forming a selfstanding display package which comprises;

a stiffening structure having two panel portions joined together; an aperture in the stiffening structure; a pliable film forming a pocket to receive an article and extending through said aperture;

an edge of each panel portion constructed to form a bottom" of the display package when the two panel portions are in face-to-face relationship; and

said pocket having a predetermined shape, based on the article to be packaged, with that portion of the pocket adjacent the panel edges that form the bottom of the display package having a depth insufiicient to receive the thickness of the article to be packaged and still pennit the panel portions to meet in face-to-face relationship so that 7 portions of said panel beneath said pocket, including portion of said edges that form the bottom of the display package, will be spaced apart when other areas of the two panel portions are secured together in face-to-face relacut so that the panel portions beneath the pocket will readily separate when the panels are folded about an article within the pockets.

8. An article as set forth in claim 7 wherein a matching aperture is provided in each panel aligned to form a single aperture through the two panels when they are folded along said fold line into face-to-face relationship, a single pliable film extends across both apertures and the fold line and the film is not separated by a through-cut between the apertures at the fold line.

9. A self-standing display package which comprises:

a resilient stiffening structure with front and back face panels secured together in face-to-face relationship with an edge portion formed in part by panel portions that are secured together'and in part by panel portions that are spaced apart;

the stiffening structure having at least one aperture;

a pliable film adhered to the stiffening structure and exte nding across the aperture;

a packaged article secured to the structure by the film and having a thickness substantially greater than that of the face panels; and

said spaced apart panel portions bordering a part of said aperture and being urged toward each other by the resilience of the stiffening structure. 

1. A self-standing display package which comprises: a stiffening structure with front and back face panels secured together in face-to-face relationship with bottom edge portions formed in part by panel poRtions that are secured together and in part by panel portions that are spaced apart; the stiffening structure having at least one aperture; a pliable film adhered to the stiffening structure and extending across the aperture; a packaged article secured to the structure by the film and having a thickness substantially greater than that of the face panels; and said spaced-apart panel portions being directly beneath the packaged article and spaced apart a distance less than the maximum thickness of the article.
 2. A package as set forth in claim 3 wherein the spaced bottom edge portions of the face panels are spaced a distance less than the thickness of the article at its bottom portion.
 3. A package as set forth in claim 1 wherein the film forms a pocket that extends through said aperture and which has a total depth in the direction of the thickness dimension of the packaged article adjacent the bottom of the aperture that is substantially less than the thickness of said packaged article at the bottom of the aperture.
 4. A self-standing display package which comprises: a stiffening structure with two face panels positioned in opposed face-to-face relationship and with a bottom surface formed of edge portions of the face panels in part joined and in part spaced apart in a common plane; the structure having two matching apertures which are aligned to form a single aperture through the two opposed panels to receive an article packaged; pliable film adhered to a facing surface of each of the two opposed face panels and extending across the respective matching apertures; pocket halves formed from portions of the pliable film extending across each of the two matching apertures, each pocket half projecting in an opposite direction from the other through the respective matching aperture in the structure, said pocket halves being of greater area than the respective apertures and combining to form a pocket about a packaged article; said spaced edge portions of the bottom surface being directly beneath said apertures to form a supporting base and said face panels being secured together in face-to-face relationship at other areas of the two face panels, including portions of the face panels at each side of said spaced edge portion of the bottom surface; and the total depth of the pocket extending from the opposed face panels at the bottom of the aperture being substantially less than the thickness of the packaged article at the bottom of the pocket, and the depth of the pocket at the top of the aperture being essentially equal to the depth of the packaged article at the top of the pocket.
 5. An article as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pocket halves are formed from a single sheet of pliable film that extends across the space between the spaced edge portions of the bottom surface of the face panels.
 6. An article for packaging a product and forming a self-standing display package which comprises; a stiffening structure having two panel portions joined together; an aperture in the stiffening structure; a pliable film forming a pocket to receive an article and extending through said aperture; an edge of each panel portion constructed to form a bottom of the display package when the two panel portions are in face-to-face relationship; and said pocket having a predetermined shape, based on the article to be packaged, with that portion of the pocket adjacent the panel edges that form the bottom of the display package having a depth insufficient to receive the thickness of the article to be packaged and still permit the panel portions to meet in face-to-face relationship so that portions of said panel beneath said pocket, including a portion of said edges that form the bottom of the display package, will be spaced apart when other areas of the two panel portions are secured together in face-to-face relationship.
 7. An article as set forth in claim 6 wherein the two panel portions are joined aloNg a fold line that forms the said bottom edge of the package and at least a portion of the panels along the fold line beneath said aperture are separated by a through-cut so that the panel portions beneath the pocket will readily separate when the panels are folded about an article within the pockets.
 8. An article as set forth in claim 7 wherein a matching aperture is provided in each panel aligned to form a single aperture through the two panels when they are folded along said fold line into face-to-face relationship, a single pliable film extends across both apertures and the fold line and the film is not separated by a through-cut between the apertures at the fold line.
 9. A self-standing display package which comprises: a resilient stiffening structure with front and back face panels secured together in face-to-face relationship with an edge portion formed in part by panel portions that are secured together and in part by panel portions that are spaced apart; the stiffening structure having at least one aperture; a pliable film adhered to the stiffening structure and extending across the aperture; a packaged article secured to the structure by the film and having a thickness substantially greater than that of the face panels; and said spaced apart panel portions bordering a part of said aperture and being urged toward each other by the resilience of the stiffening structure. 